Bottle carrier



Sept. 1, 19336. H. A. ELLIOTT 2,052,756

BOTTLE CARRIER I Filed July 10, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORV 5. 621/0 77.

' BY a ATTORNEY.

Sept. 1, 1936. A, ELLIQTT 2,052,756

' BOTTLE CARRIER Filed July 10, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 K; &

2 L/ 7 20 \2 7 25 AIINVENTOR; \J Jaw #0. [14/077 Q52! BY a Y ATTORNEY,

Patented Sept. 1, 1936 UNITED sr-A Es PATENT OFFICE 7 2,052,756 BOTTLE CARRIER Hiram A. Elliott, East Orange, N.- J. Application July-10, 1935, Serial No. 30,741

' 4 Claims. (01. 294-87) One object of this invention'is the provision of a bottle carrier particularly applicable for carrying milk bottles, which is novel in design and operation and at.the same time simple in construction and inexpensive in costof manufacture.

Another object of the invention is the. provision of a bottle'carrier. in which a plurality of bottles are suspended by the neck, and by which any of the bottles may be selectively released one at a 103 time without releasing or disturbing any of the other bottles in the carrier.

A further object is the provision of means of forming a part of the bottle carrier whereby one of the rows or both rows of bottles may be released through the carrier simultaneously.

A still further object of' the invention is the provision of means for automatically locking all of the bottles. in the carrier when the same is lifted by the handle, which means also prevents the bottles from being released and dropping from the carrier.

.The above and other objects will become apparent in the description below; in which characters of reference refer to like-named parts in the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof.

Referring briefly to the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of the carrier with one end broken away. It is to be noted that only a portion of an eight-bottle carrier is shown on the drawings. The carrier may of course be constructed to carry any desired number of bottles;

. Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 2--2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 3--3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 44 of Figure 1, with the carrier held by the handle and the releasing levers in closed position.

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 4 with the carrier set down and the releasing levers controlling .one rw of bottles in releasing position.

Figure'fi is a cross-sectional view taken on the" line 66 of Figure 1.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the numeral I0 indicatesthe.peripheral frame of the carrier which on opposite sides is provided with spaced-apart arcuate bends II which serve to provide one side of a collar in which the neck of the bottle is clamped.

On opposite ends of the frame I0 parallel extension walls I2 are rigidly mounted. The upper end of each wall I2 is bent at right angles to form a tongue In, and a slot I3 is cut out of this tongue. A fiat arm I4 extends slidably through the slot I3. A vertical slot I is provided in the arm I4, and a pin I6 having an enlarged head is rigid on the wall I2 and passes through the slot I5. The arms I4 provide the bent ends of a longitudinal handle bracket II surrounded by a handle I8 by means of which the carrier is lifted and transported.

A pair of parallel rods I9 bridge the opposite sides of the frame I0, one on either side of opposite bends II. vided on each end with a sleeve 2| slidably surrounding'the rod I9, is arcuately cut out on one side to provide the complementary collar section to the bend I I. One such member 20 is provided for each bend II. the rods I9 serve to urge collar members 20 apart, that is, each toward its complementary collar section I I.

' A lock rod 23 formed in the manner of a crank shaft, has its ends rigid in the opposite handle supporting arms I4, and is provided with a plurality of U-shaped bends having at their bases shaft sections 24, one such shaft occurring between opposite members of each pair of collar sections 20. A link 25 is fastened to one collar section 20 and a link 26 to the opposite section 20. These links are united at their free ends by the shaft 24 which passes through slots 21 in the links.

Longitudinal shafts 28 are rigidly mounted in the frame extension walls I2, one on either side of the carrier, and at the middle are bent toward each other to provide grip levers 29. These levers 29 serve, as will presently become apparent, as levers to simultaneously release all the bottles in a row at one side of the carrier. Ears 30 extend from adjacent ends of adjacent collar sections 20, and pivoted in the ends of these ears are the lower ends of levers 3|. A yoke 32 bridges the two adjacent levers 3I and the shaft 28 passes through the yoke ends 33. The latter are rigid on the shaft 28, the interlocking of these parts being accomplished by meansof a key or in any other suitable manner. The position of the yoke 32 is such that it normally'lies closely adjacent the levers 3|.

The operation of the device is as follows. Whenever it is desired to remove one or more bottles, the carrier is set down on the ground or other suitable support, with the bases of the bottles on the ground. Releasing the handle I8 after the carrier has been set down causes the same to drop, owing to its own weight, a distance equal to the length of the slot I5, into the position shown in Figure 5. In falling, the handle carries down with A collar member 20, pro- Coiled springs 22 surrounding it the shafts, which in descending draws the adjacent ends of the links and 26 downward. It is to be noted that while the carrier is being held by the handle IS, the links 25 and 26 are aligned (Figure 4) and the shaft 24 is at the near end (to each collar section 20) of the slots 21, so that it is impossible for any collar section 20 to move away from its locking position, which means that it is impossible for any bottle to be released, either accidentally or deliberately, while the carrier is being held by the handle l8. Upon being set down, the carrier release mechanism on each side first assumes the position shown in Figure 5 for the. left side only; that is, the shaft 24 rotateseach' link 25-26 down until the shaft has traveled from the near end to the far end of-the slot 21-, as, shown in Figure 5 for the link 25 only. When it is then desired to release a whole row ofbottles (onj the right side, Figure 5), the release lever .or handle 29 on that side is rotated on an upward direction, into the position shown on the right side of Figure 5. This movement carries with the shaft 28 all of the yokes 32 on that shaft, and each yoke carries with it both of the release levers 3i which it bridges. The lever 3|, in rotating about'the shaft 28, has its lower end extended in a direction. away from the bottle, carrying with it the collar section 26 and releasing the bottle. Since the shaft 24 was in the far endof the slot/2T prior to operation of the leversZfi-and ;3l,-theshaft 24 is free to travel back to the near end of this slot, which it does into the position shown for the link 26 in Figure 5. The-entire carrier is then lifted clear of the released bottles with the lever-29 still being held in its uppermost position, which maybe donewith a finger of the same hand which is lifting the carrier, When thecarrier is free of the released bottles, the lever 29 is released and permitted to return to its normal locking position by the action of the shaft 2% of the rod 23 being raised by the handle iii-back to its normal position shown in Figure a. When it is desired to release but a single bottlepthe lever 3| controlling that bottle is rotated. toward therbottle. without disturbing the lever 29, so that no other lever is operated. The releasing position for a single bottle is-shown by the lever 3! at the right of Figure 5, except that the. lever 29 and yoke 32 on that side. would remain in the normal position shown by I the same members at the left side of this figure.

To-release two bottles at a time, the'two leversadiacent those bottles are operated simultaneously. i

It isto be noted that the limitedspace between the ends of the sleeves- $2! of thecollar sec-.. tions 20 and the ends ofthe rods lllagainst the sides of the frame I 9 prevent the sections 20 from traveling too-far towardthe bends ll .when the carrier is lifted while one or-more ofthe bottlecarrying collars is empty. 7

Obviously, modifications in form-and structure may be made without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe-invention.

,I claim': i a r 1,. A bottle carrier comprising aframe, a handle slidably mounted on said frame, a plurality of collars adapted to grip the necks of the bottles, said collars being formed of two sections one of which is rigid with the frame and the other slidably mounted thereon, means for urging said slidable collar sections toward said rigid collar sections when the carrier is supported from the handle, means for drawing any one of said slidable collar sections away from said rigid collar sections selectively into open position, and means for drawingall of said slidable collar sections on one side of the, carrier away from their rigid collar sections simultaneously into open position, and

means for locking said slidable collar sections in closed position upon lifting the carrier by the handle;

2.- A bottle carrier comprising a substantially rectangular frame, a plurality of pairs of spaced apart parallel rods supported in opposite'sides of said frame, said frame between the ends of said rods being arched to form a rigid collar section, a complementary collarisection slidably mounted on each of said pairs of rods, the necks of the bottles being adapted to be gripped between each rigid and its complementary slidablecollar section, a lever rotatably mounted adjacent each of said slidable collar sections and linked thereto to slide said slidable collar section toward or away from its complementary rigid collar section, and means for lifting said carrier. 1

' 3'. A bottle carrier comprising a substantially rectangular frame, a plurality of pairs of spaced apart parallel rods supported. in opposite sides of said frame, said frame between. the ends of said rods being arched toform a rigid collar. section, a complementary collar'section slidably mounted on each of said pairsof rods, the necksof the bottles'being adapted to be gripped: between each rigid and its complementary slidable collar-section, a lever rotatably mounted adjacent each of said slidable collar sections and linked thereto to slide said slidable collar section toward or away from its complementary rigid collar sectioma rod rotatably mounted in the ends of said frame and having yokes rigid thereon, each of said yokes bridging two of said levers'andlying-close- 1y adjacent thereto, said levers being rotatably mounted on said rod, and means for liftingsaid carrier. a

'4. A-bottle carrier comprising. a substantially rectangular frame, a'plurality ofpairs of spaced.

apart. parallel. rods supported in opposite sides of.

said frame, said frame between the ends of said.

rods being arched to form. a rigid collar section, a complementary collar section slidablymounted rigid and: its complementary.collar:section, a

lever rotatably. mounted adjacent each of said.

slidable; collar sections andplinkedthereto ,to-

slide said slidable collar section toward or away from its complementary rigid collar; section,

means for looking all of said. levers in position after said slidable collar section has beenslid toward said rigid collar section, and means for.

lifting said carrier, I

. HIHAM .A. 'ELLIOTT. 

